if you're talking none-Apple freeware/shareware then there's a whole Must have freeware thread (but I'm too lazy to find the link right now), and there you will find recommendations on things like:
- Firefox. If you need an alternative to Safari or are addicted to some extensions.
- Adium X. Superior multi protocol IM client
- TextWrangler or SubEthaEdit if you need a text editor (and you do).
- Taboo and AcidSearch are indispensable add-ons to Safari.
- TacoHTML if you need a free WYSIWYG/source code HTML/PHP/CSS editor. Very good.
- Meterologist brings the weather to your menu (even better than Dashboard).
- XRG to monitor your Mac from the desktop (again without invoking Dashboard)
- etc.

Ummm, the included ones are pretty good! - You get iLife '05 lucky boy!
Adobe Photoshop - elements it that's all you can afford you'll still use it.
An alternate browser, Camino or FF - just in case.
A couple of the widgets are good too (UK yellow pages)

Really you won't need much to start with - get to know the ones you have first. Don't worry about the rest yet. It will take longer than you think to know OS X "inside-out". I've been using it just under 3 years now, and am still finding new things it can do.

All very well if you have a lot of menubar space!
I like MenuMeters for system monitoring in the menubar myself.

http://www.versiontracker.com is very good at finding apps. Need an app to do something? - think of an appropriate keyword, use the versiontracker search tool, and you'll likely get a list of 10 or more apps that all do the function in subtly different ways.

Get the "pro" version and you can do this from a different app, that will search your Mac and tell you if you have the app currently, and what version you have, and what version the new one is (along with information about the app).

Adium, by far the best AIM client (and getting better all the time)Konfabulator is also a classic, and is by no means outmoded by Dashboard.
Additionally, all of Unsanity's products are quite good, especially Shapeshifter.

Path Finder - a very classy replacement for Apple's Finder. First rate. Kind of a pro version of the finder. I can't recommend it enough for the power and ease of use it puts at your fingertips. Furthermore, under Tiger, it gives you the find file capability that Spotlight has forsaken. http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/16678

Path Finder - a very classy replacement for Apple's Finder. First rate. Kind of a pro version of the finder. I can't recommend it enough for the power and ease of use it puts at your fingertips. Furthermore, under Tiger, it gives you the find file capability that Spotlight has forsaken. http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/16678

Click to expand...

hey i just got pathfinder and im just wondering is there anyway if i click on the Macintosh HD so instead of Finder opening Path Finder opens? Or is there a way that i can get rid of the Macintosh HD icon on my desktop?

I can't believe nobody has mentioned Quicksilver yet, the perfect compliment to Spotlight.

On top of that I'm also a fan of the following (I'll try to mention the ones that haven't been mentioned yet):

Synergy: a nice hotkey/menubar iTunes controllerEjector: menubar utility for ejecting disks, pretty handy.iPhoto Buddy: allows you to create multiple iPhoto libraries, invaluable if you have lots of photos.OmniGraffle: a beautiful tool to help you create charts, flow diagrams, map out your ideas etc.MailStamps: to change the much talked about Mail toolbar icons to something more pleasing.PodWorks: move your music from your iPod to iTunes.Sidenote: newly discovered app that has become party of my daily work flow already. Think perfectly implemented Stickies.Tomato Torrent: for your legal bittorrent needs.VLC: not yet perfect on Tiger but still good enough, handles all the files that Quicktime doesn't.

There's already a couple of best freeware/shareware threads about, which you might want to search for. But I feel it's good time to start another one, with the introduction of Tiger and all.

Oh and since everybody is touting VersionTracker, I'm going to throw MacUpdate.com into the ring. Like VersionTracker but cleaner and Mac centered, which makes it worthy of support in my book

If you select "quit Finder after launch" from Path Finder's general preferences, your system will essentially substitute Path Finder for the Finder in behavior. Then the desktop you see will be Path Finder's - and you have much more control over its appearance. Finder will still be in the dock, but it won't be activated.

I'd also highly recommend Quicksilver. I don't having anything in my dock these days, it's the best launcher there is. And it can do a million other things if you play around with it a bit.Bytecontroller is, in my opinion (obviously), better than Synergy, and it's free. Synergy is so overated.Growl is a brilliant notifying thingy, which works with loads of nice third party apps, like Adium (which is class, by the by), and Bytecontroller. With Growl and Growltunes, you can have iTunes notifications roughly 7 times better than Synergy's.

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